Rabbit urinates over entire cage and lays in it

[TawnyBunny]

Well, the title pretty much says it. We're first time rabbit owners, so we're learning as we go. We have a Holland Lop that is kept in a cage (which is about six times by two times her length) for most of the day (we let her out to run around the house for an hour or so a day). She never does either kind of "business" outside of her cage, but inside...she just goes everywhere. We've tried several different litter boxes, wood pellets (she hates those), moving it to different places in the cage. We've picked up her cocoa pebbles and put them back in the litter box, but she doesn't seem to get it. So her cage only stays clean for maybe 12 hours after I clean it (every other day), afterwards there's always some amount of urine hanging out on the floor of the cage. To top it off, she loves to claw at the cage (like burrowing) as if she's actually going to get somewhere, which is why I think we find splattered urine outside of wherever the cage happens to be.

I love this little thing, but it's getting downright disgusting. FWIW, she isn't spayed. And she hates to be held or picked up, much less put on her back to clean her underside. I think I've covered all of the advice that I've seen given other people, and I'm getting desperate.

So I guess my question is: Will spaying actually remedy this behavior, or have I managed to pick out the most stubborn bunny in history? When I called a vet to ask about spaying, contrary to everything I've read online, spaying rabbits definitely didn't seem like something she approved of. What can I do?

 

[Blue eyes]

Find another vet. Any vet that doesn't approve of spaying rabbits is not rabbit experienced or savvy. A rabbit rescue can be a good reference resource for rabbit savvy vets. (Just because a vet says they "see" rabbits doesn't mean they know them.)
Your rabbit does sound hormonal. (What is her age?)

Even young rabbits that begin to litter train can forget all that with the onset of hormones. Spaying is overall good for their longevity too.

Spaying would definitely be my first suggestion. After that is done, tweaking the cage and litter set up is likely all that will be needed (once those hormones aren't in the way).

A photo of your current cage set up would be helpful too.

 

[TawnyBunny]

Ok, so I guess I exaggerated how big the cage is. But still not tiny...I think.

That's what I thought about the vet, but they're hard to come by in a small town. Guess we'll have to go for a drive. She'll love that

As far as age goes, we got her about 3 months ago and she was 6-8 months at that point. What I see in the rest of her behavior suggests hormones, but again, I'm a newb.

We did get her from a friend who picked her up along with two others. Apparently she didn't get along with the other two. Maybe we should have thought twice about that? While she's pretty spunky, she let's my oldest daughter hold/pet/brush her. But I'm the business end of the stick (pulling her away from eating everything, cleaning the cage, catching her when she doesn't want to go back in) so I kind of get the cold shoulder. I learned very quickly what thumping means.

 

[Blue eyes]

Thanks for providing so much information. That is most helpful.

It is worth the drive to find a rabbit savvy vet. I know I have to drive just over an hour to get to a good one. Spaying would be step one.

I would not read anything negative into the fact that she didn't get along with the two other rabbits. The person who got three rabbits (presumably all intact) simply doesn't know what they're doing. Rabbits don't naturally get along with each other. Bonded pairs generally only become bonded after they are both fixed and have gone through a process. But there are never guarantees that any two rabbits will get along. Trios are even more difficult. But I digress...

Chasing/catching her when she doesn't want to go back in is not a great idea as you probably have observed. She's smart enough to know she's about to be locked up. It is better to entice her back in. I explain this in more detail at this page of my site (it will save me from re-typing here).

You also mentioned something about "wherever the cage happens to be." Does this mean that the location of the cage is being moved about? If so, that could be distressing to the rabbit and cause her to mark her territory (cage) even more. Better to find one location to keep the cage -- preferably wherever her roaming/exercise area is. She should always have access back to her cage while she's roaming.

When litter training, focus more on the urine then on the droppings. It is the rare rabbit that is 100% with droppings. Wipe up any urine with a paper towel and place the soiled paper under the litter. Of course, some of this is rather mute until she gets spayed. She's already showing promise though since she isn't pottying when she's out exercising.

I did not see any hay in the cage or the litter box. She should have tons of hay. She should eat her body size in hay every day. Putting hay on top of the litter is a great way to entice her into the litter box. They like to piddle while they graze. Don't worry. They won't eat soiled hay. Just add fresh hay twice per day and that should help. (BTW, if she doesn't like the wood pellets, it could be because there isn't hay on top. With hay on top, she won't know there even are wood pellets there.)

Once she's eating hay, you can remove the automatic pellet feeder. An adult rabbit (which she is) should only receive limited plain pellets. Just a couple tablespoons per day is all she should need. But I'd suggest reducing that gradually. Here's more.

The cage is rather small if she only is getting an hour of exercise each day. An exercise pen put around it could allow her to have more permanent space. The cage door can then just be left open to allow access to the pen area. You can see photos of this here (scroll down). You may want to wait until she's spayed so she can get better with her potty habits first.

Not sure if you've done any bunny proofing but that is also something to look into to make things easier for you. (since you mentioned pulling her away from eating everything)

Her not wanting to be held is actually quite normal for rabbits. As a rule, they don't like to be picked up and held. They prefer to be pet while they are comfortably on the floor.

As she eats more hay, she will likely drink more water too. I'd suggest switching to a water bowl instead of a bottle. The bottles can frustrate some rabbits since they have to work at getting little drips of water. It isn't a natural way for them to drink. I like to use bowls that twist onto a clamp so they cannot be spilled.

I better stop here before your eyes glaze over (if it isn't too late).

 

[JBun]

If you are finding the pee puddles close to the litter box, it could be because the sides of the litter box are too low and her bum is going over the edge when she pees, resulting in a puddle outside of the litter box. I would suggest a larger litter box with higher sides. If there are urine droplets outside the cage, this can be from spraying and hormones. Spaying usually will solve this issue.

Also making the litter box a comfortable and attractive place to be can help. Like blue eyes mentioned, keeping hay in the litter box helps. I use a layer of wood pellets topped with a layer of hay to make it soft on bunny feet, then a pile of hay in the corner of the litter box the bunny doesn't usually pee in.

Rabbits are considered litter box trained when hey consistently pee in the litter box. Their poop is a whole other matter. Rabbits use their poop to mark territory, so some will leave them just about everywhere they hop. It can settle down once the rabbit is used to the new area and no longer feels the need to mark, but any changes can set off territorial marking again, like blue eyes said. Spaying will usually help settle down the territory marking, sometimes it completely solves it, sometimes just reduces it. It just depends on the individual rabbit.

With most of these issues you are having there are solutions. Once spayed it will usually make it easier to manage any remaining problems.

Some links on rabbit vets, rabbit proofing, bonding with your bun, and understanding rabbit behavior.
https://rabbit.org/vet-listings/
http://myhouserabbit.com/rabbit-care/bunny-proofing-your-house/
https://flashsplace.webs.com/bondingwithyourbunny.htm
http://language.rabbitspeak.com/

 

[Nancy McClelland]

House Rabbit Society is just across the bay in Richmond--talk to the people there and they can help with the behavior and probably steer you to a vet. When we lived in Tracy, I went to Oakley Vet Clinic--they were a little distance, but well worth the drive.

 

[Laur]

We had similiar questions and problems when we first started. I wish I had resources like this. The books and forums we found only talked about situations well out of our capabilities. We tried lots of solutions before finding things that worked for us. We bought a litter box with plastic grating but she uses it as her chair. Reva also avoided wood shavings. We now use a soft paper litter. She chose her own corner for potty and we scoop it out once a day. Since the cocoa puffs fall through the paper we can move the light fluffy paper over and sweep the cage with a wisk broom. We reuse clean paper and replace what is thrown out with new paper on the far side of the cage from her chosen corner. We feed as much hay as she will eat but it is in a hay rack and usually a pile under/next to it. I would love for her to use her litter box as a potty instead of chair but not sure we can change her mind. BTW if it isnt clipped to the cage wire she will throw it around the cage and turn it over to sit on. Out buck is totally different but has his own idiosyncrasies. I am glad I found this site, which is so much better than anything I have found on facebook.

Pax,

 

[Blue eyes]

Reva also avoided wood shavings.

BTW if it isnt clipped to the cage wire she will throw it around the cage and turn it over to sit on.

Been out of town, so reply is a bit late...
Wood shavings are different than the wood pellets that we are speaking of. Pellets absorb odor better than anything else I've found. Just FYI.

Your girl may not like her litter box because it sounds like it is too small. If she can throw it around, then it likely isn't large enough. She should be able to easily and fully stretch out in the litter box if it is large enough. This is the size box I use whether I have one rabbit or two.


Here's another good example (not mine)